Gear Up: 11 rad backpacks to upgrade your summer steeze

As much as we dream about winter being year-round, the fact is, summer is a good time to let loose. From BBQs and beach days to golf, mountain biking, skating, surfing, hiking and more, we can’t deny that we love summer almost as much as we love winter.

So to help you curb your current state of winter depression, we present a collection of packs that will take your boring summer to stoke level 10. From packs perfect for days at Mt. Hood, kicking it beach side or to carry all your stuff to space camp (you know who you are), these 11 packs will get the job done, in style!

Available in two colors, Camo (shown here) and navy, the Billabong Jasper Update Backpack has all the essentials: A storm flap zip opening, 2-zip pockets, a padded laptop sleeve and a helmet loop to keep your brain in check. It’s simple, looks good and and rocks 20 liters of volume, enough to stash everything for your next day trip.

New to Burton’s bag lineup, the Tinder Pack breaks the mold of traditional looking packs by blending a vintage, rucksack styling with modern minimalist functionality. Featuring a drawstring closure system, the Tinder Pack makes it quick and easy to access its 25L of space. Along with a separate padded laptop compartment, top accessory pocket and zippered internal mesh pocket, the Tinder Pack weighs only 1.8lbs and features a 60/40 nylon cotton blend with genuine leather trim and bottom panel (Red Clay only).

Upon first glance, the Dakine Vault Pack caught our eye for its non-traditional styling and colors: Mesa, Scout, Black (shown here), Denim and Midnight. The other thing we loved, the 25L of capacity this pack holds without looking huge on your back. It can cary pretty much everything you need including a 17-inch laptop (most bags are 15-inch) and features an additional front iPad pocket (or similar tablet for you Android lovers), a deployable mesh water bottle pocket and a fleece lined phone pocket to keep your entire digital life safe.

Also breaking the mold of your traditional backpack, Electric Visual took a piece from our brave soldiers and combined the traditional military duffle into into you new favorite pack. It rocks a padded internal laptop sleeve that is closed above by a large main compartment cinch closure system. On the outside, the Duffle Backpack has two additional pockets for storage: a small pocket for quick access to key items and a mesh zip pocket on the bottom of the top flap.

Oakley B1B Pack

For the modern athlete, Oakley introduces the B1B, a simple, modern looking pack with high-volume, 26L storage. The padded laptop sleeve securely holds your precious new 1s and 0s while the multiple zip pockets offer secure, specialized storage for the modern man or women. It’s constructed with a tough fabric blend (94% polyester, 6% PU) and padded adjustable straps so you don’t have to worry if your stuff will get damaged, giving you time to focus on the task at hand… rooftop happy hour!

Available in black (shown here) and green, the O’Neill Mt. Rainier pack has to be one of our favorite packs for summer. Its cotton canvas material is just so damn sweet looking it makes you want to never take it off. Besides it dashing good looks, the Mt. Rainier pack doubles as a wet/dry bag perfect for surfing, kicking it on the boat or relaxing at the beach and has plenty of straps to carry additional gear. If you dig it, you better act fast because we see this one selling out!

If you looking for a pack that does it all, look no further than the Patagonia Yerba Pack. With 22L of space, the Yerba Pack holds your 15-inch laptop in a separate padded sleeve while leaving enough room for a day on the trail or for you city folk, the subway… If you opt for nature, the laptop sleeve converts to a hydration reservoir holder with a tube port. With additional stash pockets for your essentials: additional layers, keys, phone, sunnies and beeper for you weirdos, the Yerba Pack is perfect for any and every day activity you can think of. And with its proprietary water repellent fabric, Deluge DWR, all your goodies will stay nice and dry when a freak “perfect storm” rolls through.

It’s no secret how awesome Poler Stuff is. Their instagram account is inspiring to say the least. So when we laid our eyes on the Day Pack we new it was a must in our favorite packs for summer. As part of a collaboration with Lifetime Collective, the Day Pack (15L) is outfitted with a desert camo print designed specifically for Lifetime along with a patch celebrating the collab. It fits your 15-inch laptop, has two additional outside pockets perfect for a water bottle and accessories and leather tie downs for whatever you can think to, well, tie down.

Listen up shred nerds, Quiksilver’s got you covered with the new Mainframe backpack. Made with the modern geek in mind (and we mean that in a positive way) the Mainframe keeps all your electronics handy with its tech inspired design. The Fleece lined padded laptop sleeve can fit a 17-inch laptop (that’s huge!) and an additional pocket keeps your iPad/Tablet safe from Mother Nature. Inside the 21L pack is all sorts of deluxe organizational options for every gadget you can think of. Now get your tech on!

The largest of the bags, The North Face Mondaze backpack is a whopping 30L, giving you plenty of room for an overnight trip with the boys or preventing you from a dirty walk of shame. The laptop sleeve rocks a zipper so you know she’s safe and sound along with three additional zip compartments on the pack’s face, perfect for storing all your necessary travel accessories. For hydration, TNF outfitted the Mondaze with side water bottle pockets that feature a bungee cord cinch to prevent sloshing when you’re in the thick of it. Although we don’t promote drinking (that’s a lie), these pockets double as secret tall boy holders. Twisted Tea anyone?!

Offered in a variety of true Volcom colors and prints, the Prohibit Backpack is an ultra-light bag with three convenient compartments including a quilted 15-inch laptop/tablet sleeve. The herringbone weave PP webbing strengthens the pack so you don’t feel like the lightweight build will drop off your back when your running from the cops with leftovers of a thirty rack inside. Trust us, you’re friends are going to worship the fact that you “splurged” on this pack when you show up with semi-warm Genese under some sketchy train bridge. It’s cool though, we’ve all been there.